NSA dismisses Santhanam`s claims on Pokhran-II as `horrific`

New Delhi, Sep 19 (PTI) National Security Adviser M K
Narayanan has termed a former Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) scientist's claims on Pokhran-II nuclear
tests as "horrific" and asserted that India has thermonuclear
capabilities which have been verified by a peer group of
researchers.

He said that the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), which
comprises a peer group of scientists, had last week come out
with the "most authoritative" statement on the efficacy of the
1998 nuclear tests and no more clarification was required from
the government on the matter.

"They (AEC) were satisfied in 1998 and they were
satisfied in 2009. Now what are you going to discuss?" he
told Karan Thapar on 'India Tonight' programme of CNBC-TV18.

Narayanan said that the AEC, an independent Commission
and the highest body in such matters, was asked to study the
data of the 1998 nuclear tests once again in the wake of the
controversy over the efficacy of the hydrogen bomb following
the statements of former DRDO scientist K Santhanam.

"I think, we have done what we have done. Beyond that I
do not know what we can do," he said.

Eminent scientists like C N R Rao, P Rama Rao and M R
Srinivasan were members of the AEC and the doyen of the
nuclear programme Raja Ramanna was part the apex nuclear body
which went into the test results in 1998. (More) PTI